Identity  Theft

Identity theft is on the increase. It is the fastest growing crime in the UK and the USA. No one is immune from the potential threat of ID theft. Anyone can be affected, and everyone should take steps to protect themselves.

The free flow of information, the growing sophistication of technology and its ability to communicate freely between 'systems'  allows the identity thief to employ many tactics that reach into our homes in an effort to defraud. Whilst the financial industry strives to close perceived gaps in their security systems, the fraudsters develop other ways to perpetrate fraud.

The improved security introduced by the credit card companies with chip and pin, has forced the criminal element to move their attentions away from the physical theft of credit cards and to concentrate more on stealing peoples' identities so that they can defraud in a different and bigger way. They are getting more effective at it.

ID Theft is not restricted just to credit card fraud. It is increasingly used in matters of immigration, terrorism and other crimes, such as child pornography, in order to conceal someone's real identity. Even the identities of deceased people are capable of being taken over by identity thieves.  What was just a fiction in Frederick Forsythe's novel 'The Day of the Jackal'  over three decades ago, has now become a reality.

Prevention is better than the cure, in respect of ID theft, and there are ways to prevent identity theft becoming an issue. It is not easy to completely prevent identity theft. If you are targeted, then some information about you can usually be discovered somewhere. But you can protect yourself by taking simple precautions and being vigilant in all matters related to your personal information.

Fraudulent Emails - Beware Of These Scams
The notorious ‘Nigerian’ money scams are doing the rounds again, so beware. Generally email based, these prey on peoples’ weaknesses - greed and desperation – in an attempt to con them out of the contents of their bank accounts.

Identity Theft Is Fastest Growing Crime In Britain
The UK government says that Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in Britain, and that £1.7 billion a year is lost to the perpetrators of this type of fraud. And it seems that no-one is immune from this crime. The comedian Harry Hill is one of the recent victims, as well as a Member of Parliament. So anyone of us could become an Identity Theft victim. But there are effective measures you can take now, to protect yourself – and these start with checking your credit report.